


Wash Away

by TheEarlyKat



Series: Warden Leverette [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-07-18 07:50:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7306090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEarlyKat/pseuds/TheEarlyKat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leverette leaves the Circle for the Wardens</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wash Away

**Author's Note:**

> [There's more artwork of the bun!](http://asexualmerrill.tumblr.com/post/145754335903/iwanttobeadino-commissioned-by-theearlykat)

The hand tugging him forward was the only thing keeping Leverette upright. He stumbled after the pull, tripping over his own feet and occasionally the hem of the new robe he'd only hours ago donned, no time to see it fitted. It was something old, a hole in the sleeve worn from constant chaffing against fingers and widened by insects when it was thrown into a closet for another mage. It clung to his skin from the sweat still sticking his skin after a night of warding off the demons attempting to feast on the last of his fear, the morsels left over by the demon the day before. 

Leverette's knees gave way as flashes of the Fade threatened to overwhelm him and a voice, deep and soothing, whispered in his ear. He would not be forgotten - by the templars, surely - but not by Fear, nor Terror, or Grief, it murmured, words wrapping around his thoughts like a lover's caress, and he heaved, pressing a hand to his chest to keep his heart from pounding out of his ribs. He was an Enchanter now; he'd fought a demon - and won. He could beat back the others. He had to. There was no protection now. The thought ended with a rumble of a chuckle, a recognition, a promise, and Leverette shuttered. 

His hand was yanked away from him and he was pulled back to his feet, left to regain himself for a moment, before he was moving forward again, down a flight of stairs. The grip was tight, not hurting, but constricting enough he could feel each callous on the man's fingers and his own fluttering pulse against them. Duncan, was his name. The Grey Warden. He'd come a day earlier than Levy's Harrowing to request help from the mages in an upcoming war. A great responsibility, a greater opportunity. There were hundreds of mages to choose from, ones who'd come into their full power decades earlier, who's talents were stronger, and the Warden had chosen him, pale and shaking, swallowing hard to keep the vomit from ending up on the polished boots he wore while the lyrium still raged in his veins like a wild thing. 

Leverette watched the doors to the mage's halls close behind them and the doors to the outside open before. Light spilled across the floor as it swung wide, steady and bright unlike the flickering flames of candles of the harsh incandescence of wisps. Leverette breathed deep to catch the faintest scent of pine and rain on his tongue and nearly choked on the headiness of it. 

Duncan stopped them to speak to a templar at the exit and when he finished writing off the custody of the mage in his grip, Leverette tugged on the hand still grasping his arm. Duncan raised a brow.

His voice rasped when he spoke, and Levy wasn't aware he'd started crying. He rubbed at his face with the heel of his free hand, swallowed, and asked again, "Why?"

"What do you mean, 'why'?"

Levy swung his arm back to the stairwell. "There's...everybody else. I've just completed apprenticeship, and you want me to join the ranks of an Order that fights things mothers scare their children with to behave? Don't you think you'd want someone...capable?"

Duncan laughed. "The fact you've earned your Enchanter status is enough to show your capability." Leverette frowned and the Warden finally released him to grip his shoulder, squeezing gently. "It's not just prowess the Wardens look for in a recruit. There'd a certain type of loyalty, of dedication and bravery, that is needed. You may not believe it, but I have a knack for finding these talents." 

Leverette bit the inside of his cheek and nodded. Still, Duncan, kept his eyes on him, and he fidgeted. "I'm...not sure how I feel about leaving. Or, more, about going outside...when everyone is...," he let out a breath. 

"Most of the mages have given up on seeing it again. You have a look that says you've been waiting." Levy glanced away, thinking of Meji, and didn't have the time to argue with the Warden before Duncan was marching through the open doors. The templar stared at him, and Leverette scurried after him. 

It was raining outside. The ground was muddy with the wet and the lake hissed at the onslaught. Water soaked into his robes, and Leverette wrapped his arms around himself to keep himself warm until a cloak was tossed about his shoulders. He watched Duncan tie his own on before tugging the edges tight around his middle. The thought of warming himself, breathing in the Fade and exhaling heat, didn't occur to him until they were at the edges of the lake where the boatman heated his hands over a fire more smoke than flames. Eyes wide, Levy curled his hands into fists and the fire popped, sparks dancing in the rain for just a moment, before being consumed by the flames rising higher. The boatman jumped away, hands held close to himself. Duncan grinned at Leverette and the mage stared at his hands. There was no call for an alarm, no templar silencing him of mana. The only footsteps were a slow and steady walk, not the harsh and fast pace of a run to take down the mage responsible. 

Leverette pulled on the Fade to heat his core and his shivering eased. He let his tight hold on the cloak loosen, let the garment fall off his shoulders, and felt the rain wash away the sweat sticking to his skin.


End file.
